Weekend with a buuteeq Client

This past weekend three other buuteeq employees and I had the privilege of visiting one of our amazing customers. Amidst the rugged roads and steep mountains of Northern Idaho, in a town called Kingston, is the Country Lane Resort. Peggy Morris has managed the property since building her home when she was 28. Since then, locals and tourists alike have graced her bar and restaurant looking for adventure in potato country. The four of us had an amazing time; not only because of Peggy’s limitless hospitality and giant plates of great food, but because of the excitement of being able to experience first-hand a property whose website we had worked to put together.

Putting Faces to Names, Places to Pictures

Taking the Kingston exit off the Interstate, the four of us wound our way through elk country near midnight after a long day of work and an even longer drive. The surrounding countryside was hidden from view until we arrived at Peggy’s and could see by the impressive light of the moon and stars. Most of the population of Kingston, ID consists of secluded homes scattered throughout the hills that were surrounding us. From the relative low point of the Country Lane Resort, it was difficult to imagine how most people even get to their homes. Needless to say, this was a far different place from Seattle’s crowded streets and rainy sidewalks, and we wouldn’t have been led to it if not for Peggy’s need for a new website back in September.

Peggy’s story with buuteeq began in September when she realized that her charming, hidden gem of culture in the Idaho mountains needed a Cloud-based DMS to tell people about the hundreds of miles of snowmobiling trails, nearby ski lodges, and good old country charm that she has around her property. Peggy has a hidden, humble little kitchen in the Idaho mountains that can put out some of the best food I’ve had in a long time. The kitchen is right near the bar that she also runs with the help of Bob, who lives on her property. buuteeq was exactly what she needed to get the word out, while she focused on playing her many roles around her property that would fall apart without her.

At night, Peggy’s place is filled with the happy laughter of hardworking people, looking to unwind. After an exhausting day of skiing at Lookout Pass, the four of us were looking for the same thing and were able to fit right in amongst the regulars. Peggy whipped up some huge dinners for us (USDA Choice Prime Rib with the obligatory Idaho baked potato) and we got right to laughing with the locals.

A New Side of Hospitality

For me, this trip was a unique chance to get to know the kind of person that I work for day in and day out. As an experienced traveler, it is usually easy to imagine myself visiting the properties whose DMS I manage, but it is exciting and refreshing to restore the romanticism of tourism and hospitality. The buuteeq office is filled with travelers and world culture lovers, but there was a unique outlook on the job that came with staying at a buuteeq property. I wish that we could have brought the whole office, but maybe that will be my next excuse to come back!